In With the Old, Out With the New – Week 2

Here at GAMINGtruth.com, one thing we all love is retro games. Majority of the staff has their own personal collections of games and systems and play them often. We encourage our readers to step away from the new, just for a little bit, and go back to the games that made modern gaming possible. However, the GAMINGtruth staff understands how difficult that could be sometimes. Not everybody saved their older gaming consoles and, unless you score at a yard sale or thrift store, buying older consoles and games could be pricey.

However, developers have been re-releasing some of their classic games. This time, you could play on the go, anytime you want. No, it is not a Nintendo DS or a PlayStation Vita or PSP. Surprisingly, a number of these classic games can be played on iOS devices. Apple’s App Store has a number of retro games available at a cheaper price than you will find for the console version.

Every week, GAMINGtruth.com will highlight one of these games no retro gamer, and iOS device owner, should not be without.

This week:Dragon’s Lair

In 1983 Dragon’s Lair was released into arcades. Unlike the other machines around it, Dragon’s Lair stood apart by featuring animation as part of the gameplay. Dragon’s Lair is an all-time classic. It has been ported a number of times since its initial release on a number of different of consoles.

With the reflex based gameplay and the sensitivity of Apple’s iOS touch devices, this port of Dragon’s Lair is one of the best I have played. At only $0.99, Dragon’s Lair is a steal. This port offers both the original arcade version of the game and the home version too. The home version offers additional scenes that were cut in the arcade version to quicken the pace. No matter what mode you choose to experience, you will be submerged into the game.

One of the most memorable aspects of older arcade games is their insane difficulty. Dragon’s Lair is considered to be one of the most difficult arcade games due to its non-lenient reflex system. Dragon’s Lair is not one of those games that you react to the direction given to you. The game is made for the player to react to the situation of the animation. You have to quickly read the situation and react before you get turned into a skeleton.

Many user reviews on Apple’s App Store state the game is broken due to deaths and needs an update to fix the timing. In fact, this is how the original game is and how it is meant to be played.

For the purest retro gamers, Dragon’s Lair has an option to turn off the infinite lives and move guide. Without the move guide, playing this port feels like playing the arcade cabinet. The highlights will still be in the animation, but will not highlight on the button configuration. This makes some scenes, for example the electric floor, extremely difficult to pass when the animation highlights are not there.

Dragon’s Lair unique animation still makes this game stands on this own 25 plus years later. Having a pure, high definition port available for $0.99 makes Dragon’s Lair a guaranteed buy for the arcade purest and causal gamer alike.

About the Author

Chris Ramirez, EditorHI! I am fanatic of all things gaming from cabinet, cartridge, disc, to digital distribution. I am the Editor with an emphasis on family and indie games. I collect toys, figures, and Pops! and enjoy taking photos of my collection and more. Visit my Instagram @CheckPointChris. Subscribe on my Facebook under Chris Ramirez, follow me on Twitter and Twitch @CheckpointChris.